Lake Vänern

In the heart of the Nordic countries, halfway between the Swedish capital Stockholm and the Norwegian capital Oslo, you will find Sweden’s largest lake – Vänern. With a water area of 5,650 square kilometres and a coastline of 4,800 kilometres, Lake Vänern is Sweden’s and EU’s largest lake. It also has Europe’s largest freshwater archipelago with more than 22,000 islands, rocks and skerries. With 34 species of fish living in its waters, Lake Vänern is also Sweden’s most significant lake for both professional and recreational fishers.

The landscape surrounding Lake Vänern is very varied, from forests to green hills and fertile farmland as well as rivers flowing into the lake. For thousand years, Lake Vänern has also been a transport route for shipping gods to and from Sweden, via the river Göta älv, connecting Lake Vänern to the North Sea. This river is the only outlet of Lake Vänern and produces renewable energy. Its strategic location, in the heart of the Nordic countries, makes Lake Vänern a natural hub, and around the lake there is a broad transport network including trains, buses and planes.

There is a wealth of things to see and do for visitors, whatever the weather and season. Tourism is therefore an important sector for the area around Lake Vänern. The Lake Vänern Grand Tour concept acts as an umbrella for developing Lake Vänern as a sustainable tourism destination. World-class cycle routes and walking trails, great fishing opportunities, kayaking in the archipelagos, sailing and boating, exciting cultural experiences and the local cuisine are some of the offers at Lake Vänern. The microclimate in the area and its often-sunny weather makes Lake Vänern a paradise for swimming, with large sandy beaches and shallow bays.

The experiences for visitors, the sea-like environment and vast area are, however, not the only things that characterise Sweden’s largest lake. People living around Lake Vänern are passionate about the water, nature and about working with sustainable development of this area. Therefore, a decade ago Lake Vänern Cooperation (Vänersamarbetet, in Swedish) was formed to achieve sustainable maritime development of Lake Vänern on a local and regional level.

Visit the official website